Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/94

 TROPOLOGY

66

TROT

Trope of the Blessed Virgin, which is built upon the penultimate word, inviolata, of the Responsory of the Assumption; "Gaude, Maria virgo . . . et post partuni inviolata permansisti. " The syllable la of inviolata was the bearer of a long mehsma; to this melisma towards the close of the tenth century in France the following text was composed: la. Invio-lata Integra lb. Quie es effecta

et casta fulgida

es, Maria, regis porta.

2a. O mater alma 2b. Suscipe pia

Christi carissima, laudum precamina

3a. Nostra ut pura 3b. Qua; nunc flagitant

pectora devota

sint et corpora. corda et ora,

4a. Tu da per precata 4b. Nobis perpetua dulcisona, frui vita,

5. O benigna,

quae sola inviolata permansisti. Of a similar structure are all the Breviary Tropes or "Verbeta", and they are dovetailed, as shown above, more or less ingeniously, between the penultimate and last word of their Responsory.

The "Tropi Graduales" in their turn are divided into two classes, namely into "Tropi ad Ordinarium Missa;" or to the unchangeable text of the Mass, i.e. to the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Itemissaest, and into "Tropi ad PropriumMissarum " or to those parts of the text which change according to the respective feast, i.e. to the Introit, Lesson, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion. This latter class frequently differs from the former also in the ex- ternal structure of its Tropes; and at first it was the most widespread; it might perhaps even claim to be the oldest and most original; but it disappeared at a relatively early date, whereas the "Tropi ad Ordina- rium Missae" still kept their place in hturgy for a considerable time.

History and Significance. — The origin of the Tropes, that is to say of the Gradual Tropes (since the Antiphonal Tropes are evidently of a later date), must almost coincide with that of the Proses or Sequences which are most clo.sely related to them; this would mean that their history begins somewhere in the eighth century. Whether the Trope or the Sequence was the older form is all the more difficult to decide, since the Sequence itself is to a certain degree a kind of Trope. The St. Martial Troper, the oldest one known, of the middle of the tenth cen- tury (Cod. Parisin., 1240), abounds in Tropes to the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion; in other words it has a great many "Tropi ad Proprium Missarum". In addition it contains thirteen Gloria Tropes, but only two of the Sanctus, and not one of the Kyrie. Comparatively poor in Tropes are the St. Gall Tropers, and this fact alone makes it ex- tremely doubtful whether Tutilo of St. Gall wa3 the inventor of the Tropes. It appears that the Trope, Uke the Sequence, originated in France, where from the tenth century onwnnl it enjoyed great popularity and was most eagerly (•ulti\'ated. From there it soon made its way to England and to Northern Italy, later to Central and Southern Italy, and became wide- spread in all these countries, less so, however, in Germany. It was known there as early as in the ninth century, since Tutilo of St. Gall can rightly be considered a composer of Tropes. It remains a curious fact that in spite of the great number of Tropes no poet can be named who gained distinction as a composer of Tropes. In the thirteenth century this once important branch of literature began to decline and survived almost exclusively in Kyrie Tropes, pai ticularly in France until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Regarding the poetical contents, the Tropes, with tew exceptions, are of no great value. But this

peculiar poetical production is all the more interest- ing for the student of Uturgy, and especially great is its significance in the development of music and poetry. It is worthy of note that, instead of short insertions into the lltuigical text, as time went on several verses, entire stanzas, even a number of stanzas, were fitted in. The non-essential part developed into the main work; the liturgical te.xt withdrew entirely into the background, and was scarcely even considered as the starting-point. In this manner the Tropes grew to be independent cautions, motets, or reUgious folk-songs. Also the dramatic character, which was quite peculiar to many Introit Tropes at Christmas and Easter, developed mere and more luxuriantly until it reached its highest perfection in larger di-amatic scenes, mystery plays, and plays of a jjurely religious character. Tropes finally left the liturgical and the religious ground al- together, and wandered away from the spiritual to the profane field of .songs of love, gambling, and drinking. And for that reason many specimens of leligious as well as secular poetry of later date can be fully under- stood only when they are traced back to their source, the Tropes. The importance from a musical stand- point of both the Tropes and the Sequences has been most suitably characterized by Rev. Walter Howard Frere in his introduction to "The Winchester Troper" where he says: "For the musician the whole story is full of interest, for the Tropers practically represent the sum total of musical advance between the ninth and the twelfth century. . . . All new developments in musical composition, failing to gain admission into the privileged circle of the recognised Gregorian service-books, were thrown together so as to form an independent musical collection supplementary to the official books; and that is e.xactly what a Troper is" (op. cit., p. vi).

Frere, The Winchester Troper (London, 1894); Wolf, Ueber die Lais (Heidelberg. 1841); Gautier. Les Tropes (Paris, 1886); Reiners, Tropen-Ges&nge u. ihre Melodien (Luxemburg, 1887); Blume and Bannister, Tropi Graduales ad ordinarium Miss(E in Anafecta hymnica, XLVII (Leipzig, 1905); Blume, Tropi Graduales ad Proprium Missarum in Anal, hymn., XLIX (Leipzig, 1906).

Clemens Blume.

Tropology, Scriptur.\l, the theory and practice of interpreting the figurative meaning of Holy Writ. The literal meaning, or God-intended meaning of the words of the Bible, may be either figurative or non- figurative; for instance, in Canticles, the inspired meaning is always figurative. The typical meaning is the inspired meaning of words referring to persons, things, and actions of the Old Testament which are inspired types of persons, things, and actions of the New (cf. Exegesis).

Walter Drum.

Troy, John Thomas, Archbishop of Dublin, b. in the parish of Blanchardstown, near Dublin, 10 IVIay, 1739; d. at Dublin, 11 May, 1823. He belonged to an Anglo-Norman stock, and received his early education at Liffey Street, Dublin, after which, in 1777, he joined the Dominican Order and proceeded to their house of St. Clement, at Rome. Amenable to discipline, diligent in his studies, and gifted with much ability, he made rapid progress, and while yet a student was selected to give lectures in philosophy. Subsequently he pro- fessed theology and canon law, and finally became prior of the convent in 1772. When the Bishop of Ossory died, in 1776, the priests of the diocese rec- ommended one of their number. Father Molloy, to Rome for the vacant see, and the recommendation was endorsed by many of the Irish bishops. But Dr. Tioy, who was hold in high esteem at Rome, had al- ready been appointed Bishop of Ossory. He arrived at Kilkenny in August, and for the next nine years he laboured hard for the spiritual interests of his diocese. They were troubled times. Maddened by excessive